A high-speed network environment typically includes network devices such as access switches, routers, and bridges used to facilitate delivery of information packets and/or data traffic from source devices to destination devices. Information pertaining to the transfer of packet(s) through the network is usually embedded within the packet itself. Each packet traveling through one or more communications networks such as Internet and/or Ethernet can typically be handled independently from other packets in a packet stream or traffic. For example, each router which may include routing, switching, and/or bridging, engines processes incoming packets and determines where the packet(s) should be forwarded.
In a high-speed computing network environment, maintaining high speed traffic flows with minimal data loss and/or packet drop is desired. As such, it is also desirable to detect failures relating to data links and/or connections between the network devices, thereby allowing for traffic flows to be maintained and rerouted so as to reduce packet drop(s).